Mariners 5, Pirates 4

by Alan ROBINSON<br>AP Sports Writer
| June 22, 2004 9:00 PM

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Maybe facing an NL team was what Seattle's Freddy Garcia needed to enjoy something he rarely gets in the American League: some run support.

Ichiro Suzuki hit a go-ahead double in a three-run seventh inning and the Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

The Pirates were swept in three of their four interleague series and went 2-10 against the AL West, the sixth time in seven seasons they've had a losing record in interleague play.

”We've taken a licking,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. ”I've been on the record for years as saying I'm not in favor of it.”

While the Pirates dropped their 17th in 20 games, Seattle won its fourth in a row and ninth in 13 games. The Mariners again got strong starting pitching from a staff that has a 2.17 ERA in its last 15 starts, with Garcia holding Pittsburgh to two runs in six innings.

”We're starting to click a little bit,” Bret Boone said. ”We can't make up for 2 1/2 months in a week, but the talent here is too good to play like we played early on.”

With Yankees scouts watching him for a second straight start, Garcia (4-6) ended a three-game losing streak. The Mariners hadn't scored with Garcia in the game during his previous two starts, and have one run or fewer with him on the mound in eight of his 14 starts.

”It was good to score some runs for him,” manager Bob Melvin said. ”It was another typical outing that we see out of Freddy all year, and it was nice to get him one.”

Garcia is seeing some good signs from a team that remains buried in the AL West basement — besides more runs, of course.

”We know we've got a good team,” he said. ”We've got to get it going and start playing like this, get on a streak and win more games.”

Eddie Guardado, in for the fourth straight game, pitched the ninth for his second save of the series and 14th in 17 games. He ended the game by getting Daryle Ward on a liner to short with runners on first and second.

”We went into the game thinking we weren't going to use him, but he was adamant about being able to pitch today,” Melvin said. ”He's fearless.”

Even if he doesn't always have the stomach to be a closer. Guardado was so nervous, he vomited before facing his first hitter.

”It's just excitement,” he said. ”It just happened. I tried to hold it in, but … ”

The Mariners trailed 2-1 against Pirates starter Oliver Perez (3-4) until Dan Wilson and pinch-hitter Edgar Martinez walked with one out in the seventh. Perez yielded only three hits, but walked five — three of whom scored — and hit a batter.

Rookie left-hander Mike Gonzalez came on to allow Randy Winn's tying single. Suzuki, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Perez, followed with a two-out double to right-center to score Winn. Cabrera also scored on the play to make it 4-2 when center fielder Tike Redman had trouble scooping up the ball, drawing an error.

Despite solo homers by Daryle Ward in the sixth off Garcia and Jason Kendall in the seventh off Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the Pirates lost their ninth in 11 home games.

Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first after second baseman Boone threw wildly on a potential force play at second.

Seattle tied it in the fourth on Wilson's RBI single before Ward briefly put the Pirates up with his 10th homer — 10 more than he had last season with Los Angeles.

Kendall's homer into the first row of the left-field seats was his first since Aug. 26. The Mariners got the run back on Hiram Bocachica's sacrifice fly in the eighth, but the Pirates scored again in their half of the inning on pinch-hitter Ruben Mateo's RBI single against reliever Julio Mateo.

Despite Perez's wildness and occasional tendency to yield homers in bunches, McClendon likes how the left-hander has progressed. His 3.68 ERA is easily the best of the Pirates' starters.

”You look at the statistics and he's up there with the big boys,” McClendon said. ”If he stays healthy, he's going to have a special career.”